The body of a 61-year-old homeless man was found on Saturday morning near a construction site near the Atwater metro station and Cabot Square in the west of the Ville-Marie borough.
According to an article published on the Resilience Montreal Facebook page, a homeless shelter, the victim, Elisapie Pootoogook, had left her Inuit territory to undergo medical treatment in Montreal. After arriving in the metropolis, this Indigenous woman found herself in Cabot Square, a famous gathering point for homeless Inuit.
The lady was looking for a safe place to sleep when she died, according to Resilience Montreal shelter worker David Chapman, who knew her.
“Elisapie just wanted a safe place to rest her head,” he said in the article posted on the organization’s Facebook page.
He believes that the death of Elisapie Pootoogook is “further proof that we are failing our most vulnerable residents.”
According to the “Nunatsiaq News” which spoke to the victim’s spouse, Elisapie Pootoogook was in Montreal to treat meningitis. She was also the sister of artist Annie Pootoogook, found lifeless in the Rideau Canal in Ottawa in 2016.
A spokesperson for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SVPM), Caroline Chèvrefils, said a call to 911 prompted paramedics to go near the construction site, where they found the victim unconscious.
The SPVM police officers, dispatched to the scene, analyzed the scene. “No criminal element is involved in this death,” said Ms. Chèvrefils.
The file was transferred to the Coroner’s Office.
Worse than before
Also according to the article, the death of Ms Pootoogook did not surprise street workers who have seen the homeless population reach alarming levels since the start of the pandemic last year. The fact that shelters must limit their services to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks means that there are more people sleeping outside in Montreal than at any time in the past decade.
This death also recalls the sad death of Raphaël André, whose body was found in a portable toilet on avenue du Parc, in Montreal, last winter. This death aroused the indignation of the population.
“The situation on the ground is desperate, we are short of money and there is no guarantee that the City will allow us to continue,” said Nakuset, Executive Director of the Native Women’s Home of Montreal.
The Legault government announced last summer a five-year plan of $ 280 million to fight homelessness in Quebec. Mayor Valérie Plante was re-elected last week after pledging to double the city’s annual budget for homeless services.
While awaiting the fulfillment of the promises of politicians, relatives and people sensitive to this cause will hold a celebration in loving memory of Elisapie Pootoogook on November 22 at 1 p.m. at Cabot Square.